Amid calls for Tibetan independence by protestors in Nepal and for democracy in Hong Kong by protestors there, China’s President Xi Jinping has responded with a chilling warning reminiscent of the Tiananmen Square massacre: “Anyone attempting to split China in any part of the country will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones.”

Bob Hawke wept for the massacred protestors of Tiananmen Square in 1989 and offered Chinese students in Australia asylum.

Indicative of the inordinate influence China is wielding around the globe, either through soft power, coercion or force, 22 pro-Tibetan activists were arrested in Kathmandu, Nepal, prior to President Xi’s visit there, with Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli telling Mr Xi his country would oppose any “anti-China activities” on its soil.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Hong Kong would not tolerate calls for independence. A Chinese University of Hong Kong student who took part in the protests has spoken of sexual and violent abuse by Hong Kong police after being arrested. Sonia Ng, a childhood education student addressed an audience with the university vice-chancellor, Rocky Tuan, in which she asked him to condemn the police violence against student demonstrators.

“Do you know I am not the only one who suffered sexual violence by the police? Other arrestees have suffered sexual assaults and torture by more than one officer, regardless of gender,” she said. Miss Ng claimed she was arrested on August 31 and sent to Princess Margaret Hospital, San Uk Ling Holding Centre and Kwai Chung Police Station, where she alleged she was hit on the breast by a male police officer.

The issue of the Hong Kong protests and growing Chinese influence in Australia was discussed by Hong Kong and Chinese expats at the monthly NCC Sunday Night Youth Forum, which was live-streamed online on October 6.

Hong Kong citizen Jason Tse, currently in Australia, claimed that Hong Kong had become a police state: many young adults had disappeared in the last four months while others have been found dead in public and officially treated as “jumper” suicides, despite no blood being found at the scene.

He said: “I sincerely hope the civilised countries, not only Australia, can relax restrictions for protestors because they are not safe any more now in Hong Kong. They could be disappeared or killed or extradited to China any time.”

Mr Tse said that the Chinese were not honouring the 50-year “two systems, one country” agreed to at the British handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.“The civil movement this time has unveiled how ugly and corrupt the government is.

“Everything has changed. Nothing original is left. Hong Kongers are cheated and, most importantly, universal suffrage was declined officially by the Chinese government in 2014.”

One of the forum panel, Hong Kong expat William Lai, said that only half of the seats in the Legislative Council are directly elected by the people, which translates into Chinese Government control of the Parliament.

Mr Tse outlined the five demands of the Hong Kong protestors:

Full withdrawal of the extradition bill allowing Hong Kong citizens to be extradited to China, where the judiciary is an extension of the communist Government.

Retracting the classification of all protests as riots, which allows protestors to be charged as rioters.

An independent commission of inquiry into alleged police brutality.

Amnesty for arrested protestors.

Universal suffrage for seats in the Legislative Council and for the Chief Executive.

Mr Tse called for foreign governments, including Australia’s, to place sanctions on Hong Kong government officials and police. He said: “We never initiate any violence and we have been suppressed for 22 years.

“Now, we‘ve just had enough and realised waiting doesn’t bring us anything. We have to fight for it. So, the real Hong Kongers are just fighting for what human beings deserve: that is, human rights, justice, dignity and freedom.”

Another panellist, Australian-based newspaper Tiananmen Times chief Frank Ruan Jie, warned that China’s intolerance of criticism abroad could render persons of any nationality passing through Hong Kong or Chinese airports susceptible to detention by the Chinese Government.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed three bills showing support for pro-democracy protestors. Democrats Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said: “If America does not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interest, then we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights any place in the world.”

ABC Radio’s PM program reported that Hong Kong protestors in Canberra have called for the Federal Government to include human-rights clauses in a free trade deal between Australia and Hong Kong due to be signed by the end of the year, or else suspend the agreement.

University student Alex Dooley, who attended the NCC Sunday Night Youth Forum said: “I think the greatest takeaway from the talk was learning about how the international community can stand with the protesters. Placing sanctions on China, providing asylum for protesters fleeing the situation, and overall doing more to show China that its actions are detestable would be the least we could do in support.”

It is incumbent upon the Federal Government to assist those Hong Kong protestors whose lives are in jeopardy for demanding the basic freedoms all Australians enjoy.

It is also urgent that the Australian Government seek to counter growing Chinese influence in Australia. This creeping influence seeks to undermine our sovereignty and corrupt all tiers of government, educational institutions and corporations into unquestioningly supporting and partnering with a brutal, communist regime.